What happens when a mature woman falls victim to the allure of the modern Asian Ball Jointed Doll? Will the devious doll divas succeed in separating balljointedwoman from her hard earned cash? Which diva will earn herself a new fashion this week? Stay tuned for the latest installment of As the Resin World Turns.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

There's a Boy in the House!

Although there are several boys now residing at Resin Corner, Limho Mono was the first. This little charmer from Limhwa Doll in Korea arrived a month after Dharma. He stands 44.5 cm (roughly 17 and 1/2 inches) tall, just a little taller than my girls. His pale complexion is Limhwa's normal beige. I named him Olivier.

He arrived wearing brown eyes (my least favorite eye color, no offense to my brown-eyed friends) and a mohair wig that needed styling. I tried to style it--really, I did--I just made a mess of it. Thank goodness I had other wigs on hand. The pure white wig in the photo below ("Kana" from JpopDolls) may not be his best color, given his pale skin, but it looks worlds better than his original mohair.

Luckily for Olivier, I was able to squeeze him into jeans and molded plastic loafers made for Tonner's Matt O'Neill. The tee shirt was a better fit. The outfit would do until I could sew something for him. Before his arrival I had made pants and a shirt designed for a different doll--both garments were too small. (No great loss, as I didn't like the fabric anyway.)

I had better luck with a pattern designed for IpleHouse SooRi, a 63 cm doll. I reduced it to 75% of the original, which still made it a little larger than needed but allowed for the fact that my seams sometimes go wider than they should. It was an ambitious pattern. I wish I had succeeded with the coat, but I chose the wrong fabric for the lining and then couldn't get his arms through the sleeves. Someday I'll try again.

His lovely companion is Linn in a pink wig and a dress last seen on Innuendo.

Limho Mono also comes in a tan resin version, and I had the opportunity to purchase one a year later from another collector. The contrast between the two Limhos is as night and day.

Here the boys exchange a tentative handshake. After all, a new male in the house is a potential rival for the attention of fair maidens. The tan version is Heath, because I detected a hint of Bronte's Heathcliff about him. No need to describe the outfit--it's Matt O'Neill all over again. (Heath has since passed this outfit on to another boy.)

Both Limhos scored new outfits in the past year. Below left, Olivier could stand in for Harry Potter in "My Guy" from Adams-Harris patterns. The only thing missing is the wizard's cloak and a wand. (Hey! I have those. Olivier can "borrow" them from my Tonner Harry Potter doll.)

Heath, on the other hand, channels his inner Captain Jack Sparrow in an outfit cobbled together from bits and pieces of different patterns. I even made the hat. A pirate would hardly walk into a department store and buy his seafaring duds off the rack, would he? (I could have saved myself the trouble of making the hat and simply borrowed from my Tonner Captain Jack Sparrow doll. I wonder how much of the rest of the outfit would fit?)

Heath's latest incarnation is as a normal boy with a penchant for sports. It's not so much that he was tired of playing at pirates, but that the girls were put off by the costume. None of them wanted to be seen with him!

I made jeans to go with this shirt. If only I had a pattern for shorts

--I could put a soccer ball in his hands and let him run.

Limhwa dolls have the most beautiful facial sculpts; however, I find that their bodies are sometimes awkward to pose. I have had to restring this lad several times in an effort to make him behave. In the end, he is going to do what he wants to do, regardless of my wishes. With a face like that, I know I'm going to forgive him.

Next time, a Raniy Elfgirl with a distinctly Asian flair joins the growing family at Resin Corner.